Exercise IQhttps://exerciseiq.com.au
Smart Exercise SolutionsMon, 14 Jan 2019 07:40:52 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3Health risks passed on by fathershttps://exerciseiq.com.au/health-risks-passed-fathers/
Fri, 12 Aug 2016 02:13:55 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1472Have you ever wondered how your health might affect that of your children? What about your grand-children? If you’re a female you probably have, as it has been accepted for some time that the health of the mother at conception and while carrying their baby...

]]>Have you ever wondered how your health might affect that of your children? What about your grand-children?

If you’re a female you probably have, as it has been accepted for some time that the health of the mother at conception and while carrying their baby influences the health of her child. But men probably haven’t thought that their health has much effect on their descendants.

Well, researchers are warning of the harmful legacy that paternal obesity can have on future generations. It follows a vital breakthrough in obesity research, which shows a father’s metabolic health can be passed from generation to generation, affecting not only his children but also his grandchildren.

Scientists at Sydney’s Victor Chang Institute and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have discovered that male mice who are obese when they conceive are putting their children and grandchildren at significant risk of developing metabolic disease long before they are even born.

According to the researchers “A baby’s health has long been considered the mother’s responsibility as soon as she falls pregnant. But little attention has been paid to how a father’s health might impact his unborn child. Now, we’ve found powerful evidence, in a mouse model, that dad’s nutrition and metabolic health can influence his sons, and even his grandsons.”

The scientists looked at the effect of dad’s obesity across three generations. At first his offspring appeared to be in good metabolic health. But when they consumed a high-fat, high sugar, junk food diet, all the sons reacted dramatically and within just a few weeks they developed fatty liver disease and pre-diabetic symptoms, such as elevated glucose and insulin in the bloodstream.

The researchers were surprised to find that the grandsons of the obese mice were also predisposed to metabolic disorders, just as their fathers were. Importantly, this predisposition was transmitted to the grandsons even if their fathers ate well and were metabolically well at the time of conception.

If their grandfather was obese the effects of diet on offspring were dramatic, even when they ate poorly for just for a short time.

There are two implications for this:
1. The researchers warn that if your father or grandfather was overweight or obese, you might need to be particularly careful about what you choose to eat as you may well be more susceptible to poor lifestyle choices.

2. If you’re a father-to-be, it’s worth considering whether your own health could impact on your children, and their children in turn. Getting your own health in order before starting a family could be very important you, for your kids and for their kids.

The scientists say it’s still not entirely clear how this multigenerational programming is happening, but there appear to be clues within the sperm of the mice. They are now working to understand how changes in RNA molecules in the sperm could transmit the metabolic effects from generation to generation.

For the females reading this, you now have further ammunition to “encourage’ your partner to eat well, manage their weight and stay healthy. The health of your children isn’t just your responsibility any more. Tell your partner you won’t have kids with them until they get healthier. That should be a pretty good incentive to get them off the couch and eating better.

]]>Are you metabolically flexible?https://exerciseiq.com.au/are-you-metabolically-flexible/
Mon, 18 Jul 2016 06:01:19 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1466With overweight and obesity skyrocketing around the world, researchers are working hard to identify the causes so we can help those people whose weight is increasing and those whose attempts to lose weight fail. The standard answer— calories in exceed calories out—sounds reasonable, but in...

]]>With overweight and obesity skyrocketing around the world, researchers are working hard to identify the causes so we can help those people whose weight is increasing and those whose attempts to lose weight fail.

The standard answer— calories in exceed calories out—sounds reasonable, but in practice the conscious restriction of calories does not seem to work very well for controlling weight and overcoming obesity.

A possible reason, for some people at least, may be that they aren’t metabolically flexible.

Mitochondria are granular organelles found in the cytoplasm of most cells. They have an outer membrane, and a multiply-folded inner membrane. Inside the second membrane is a viscous matrix containing a large number of proteins used to produce energy for the cell.

When a meal of fats and carbohydrates is eaten, both substances are taken into cells. Although both macronutrients are available to be converted into energy, typically the mitochondria will use the carbohydrate first. The insulin that is secreted in response to eating carbohydrate inhibits fat oxidation and encourages it to be stored away. Insulin also enhances glucose oxidation by up-regulating another enzyme involved in carbohydrate metabolism.

In normal cells after an hour or two, insulin will decline and less glucose will be available to the mitochondria. Free fatty acids will still be present in the cell and will then be allowed to get into the mitochondria where they will be used to produce energy.
This is called metabolic flexibility. When carbohydrate is present, the mitochondria will preferentially use carbohydrate. When free fatty acids are present but carbohydrates are in short supply, the mitochondria will normally switch over to using fatty acids for fuel.

There is some evidence that obese individuals have a decreased ability to oxidise free fatty acids in skeletal muscle. It is not yet known whether this is due to them having less mitochondria or there are defects in the mitochondria of skeletal muscle.

It is possible to measure the relative use of carbohydrate or fat for fuel by the mitochondria by a technique called Indirect Calorimetry. This is a simple test where a person sits comfortably after a short fast and breathes through mouthpiece into a gas analyser.

The mitochondria use different amounts of oxygen and produce different amounts of carbon dioxide when they metabolise carbohydrates and fats. This is expressed as the Respiratory Quotient (RQ) or the Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER). When carbohydrate is used as fuel, more CO2 is produced for a particular amount of oxygen consumed and the RQ is higher. The RQ for pure carbohydrate is approximately 1.0. When fat is used for energy, less CO2 will be produced for a particular amount of oxygen and the RQ will be lower. The RQ for pure fat is about 0.7.

By measuring your RQ we can determine what proportions of fat and carbohydrate you are using. We can also determine your resting metabolic rate, which is how much energy (calories) you need each day. Knowing this allows us to gauge if you are metabolically flexible. If you aren’t changes to diet and exercise can help to increase your ability to burn both carbohydrates and fats.

]]>How exercise affects your brainhttps://exerciseiq.com.au/how-exercise-affects-your-brain/
Fri, 06 May 2016 08:10:14 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1449Exercise is a highly metabolic process in which the muscle tissues increase their demand for oxygen and the secretion of waste products such as carbon dioxide. In response to these demands, the amount of blood pumped by the heart increases. Increased blood flow This increase in...

]]>Exercise is a highly metabolic process in which the muscle tissues increase their demand for oxygen and the secretion of waste products such as carbon dioxide. In response to these demands, the amount of blood pumped by the heart increases.

Increased blood flow

This increase in blood flow not only affects the muscle tissues but also reaches the brain, supplying more oxygen and fuel, enabling brain cells to function at a higher level. That’s part of the reason why you often feel more alert and focused during and after exercise. As well as acute effects, physical activity results in the improvement of brain blood flow regulation not only during exercise but also in the long term.

Neurogenesis (new brain cells)
Aerobic exercise (e.g. running, walking), stimulates the production of neurotrophic factors in the brain. These molecules are responsible for the growth, development and maintenance of neurons (brain cells). One of these neurotrophic factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), plays an important role in neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells. The increase in BDNF in the brain with exercise has been shown to enhance the production and differentiation of new cells in the hippocampus (the part of the brain that is responsible for long-term memory and learning). Other regions of the brain have also been shown to enlarge in response to physical activity, benefiting other areas of cognition including attention, motor coordination and learning. Increased levels of the neurotrophic factor IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) from regular exercise enhances the effect of BDNF in the formation of new cells and has its own neuroprotective effects.

Another neurotrophic factor, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor – this is a blood vessel growth promoting factor) protects your brain from low levels of oxygen (hypoxia) by inducing the formation of new blood vessels in your brain to deliver more oxygen.

Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to be ‘plastic’ or malleable by rewiring and remodeling itself in response to experiences and new learning. A brain that is plastic can be thought of as flexible and more able to learn and solve problems. Our brains are most plastic in childhood which is a period of rapid learning and development. This naturally diminishes as we get older but there are ways to promote continual neuroplasticity. Exercise is important as it improves our ability to create new neural pathways between brain cells as well as protecting brain cells. Exercise leads to greater neuron density in the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for executive skills such as impulse control and judgment. Reasoning and motivation also take place in this area of the brain. Physical activity adds neuronal connections in the prefrontal cortex facilitating the process of making choices and developing willpower.

Brainwaves
During exercise your brain produces alpha waves. Alpha waves are the brainwave that is associated with states of calm, focus and attention.

Endorphins
Exercise stimulates the secretion of endorphins. These chemicals interact with the opioid receptors in the brain to activate them and reduce the perception of pain. Moderate intensity exercise especially appears to increase the secretion of β-endorphins which apparently have significantly greater analgesic potency of morphine (Interestingly the word endorphin = ‘endogenous morphine’). Secretion of endorphins also results in improved mood states triggering a positive feeling in the body that helps to combat mild depression and anxiety.

We often think of the benefits of exercise for our body but forget just how important it is for our brain. Hopefully this highlights the importance of regular exercise to stay mentally sharp and give you added incentive to stick to your activity routine.

]]>The early bird catches the exercise bughttps://exerciseiq.com.au/the-early-bird-catches-the-exercise-bug/
Wed, 20 Apr 2016 04:46:56 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1431I have always recommended that people aim to do their exercise first thing in the morning. Perhaps its because that’s the time I tend to do mine or that anecdotally it is better for fat burning. Or that I think everyone should enjoy the peace...

]]>I have always recommended that people aim to do their exercise first thing in the morning. Perhaps its because that’s the time I tend to do mine or that anecdotally it is better for fat burning. Or that I think everyone should enjoy the peace and tranquility of seeing the sun come up. Mind you, if everyone was up early it might not be so peaceful and tranquil.

Without a lot of research to back it up, I’ve told people that it is easier to build a routine of regular exercise if you do it before all the other demands of the day get in the way. Well now there is some research to support mornings being the best time for exercise.

Jawbone, the activity-tracking device company, have just released some findings showing that exercising in the morning can help you stay consistent with your workouts.

Researchers analysed the data from more than one million people who track their steps and workouts using Jawbone’s fitness tracking products and apps. The results confirm that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to work out consistently. Consistently was defined as three or more workouts per week.

According to Jawbone the magic hour for workouts is six o’clock in the morning. About 11 percent of the people who exercise three or more days a week exercised at 6 a.m.; a far greater percentage than any other hour of the day. Five a.m. was the second most popular time for consistent exercisers. Nine a.m. was the third most popular time and I’m guessing this is all those people who don’t need to fit in their exercise around work and can go the gym or hit the paths after all the workers have finished.

In comparison, people who were inconsistent with their workouts tended to hit the gym around 6 p.m.

When the researchers took a closer look through all the information gathered by users, some interesting patterns emerged.

If you want to work out early at home, do it in front of your television. They found that people who are most consistent with their home workouts tended to have the TV on. For me personally, I find that having the TV on distracts me and I often do a few more exercises to get me to the end of the news or whatever I am watching.

If you are just not a morning person, don’t worry. There were a few exceptions to the morning exercise trend. People who joined exercise classes like Zumba, pilates or yoga were most likely to work out in the evenings.

So if you are going to exercise in the afternoons or evenings, your best chance of sticking with it is to join a class or group or perhaps play an organised sport that trains in the afternoons.

If your exercise is just not as consistent as you want and you are trying to find a routine that works, my suggestion is to use the holidays to get up early to do something, knowing that you can always have a nap later in the day!

Whatever time you exercise, give yourself the best chance of being consistent by developing habits and support structures that make it easier to get moving. And with the holiday season about to hit, try to stick as closely to your normal routine as possible.

]]>How exercise prevents brain fatiguehttps://exerciseiq.com.au/how-exercise-prevents-brain-fatigue/
Sat, 26 Mar 2016 09:25:33 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1429Researchers have long known that regular exercise increases the number of organelles called mitochondria in muscle cells. Since mitochondria are responsible for generating energy, this numerical boost is thought to underlie many of the positive physical effects of exercise, such as increased strength and endurance....

]]>Researchers have long known that regular exercise increases the number of organelles called mitochondria in muscle cells. Since mitochondria are responsible for generating energy, this numerical boost is thought to underlie many of the positive physical effects of exercise, such as increased strength and endurance.

Exercise also has a number of positive mental effects, such as relieving depression, improving memory and preventing mild cognitive decline. However, the mechanism behind these mental effects has for a long time been unclear. In a study in mice, researchers at the University of South Carolina discovered that regular exercise also increases mitochondrial numbers in brain cells, a potential cause for exercise’s beneficial mental effects.

The researchers assigned mice to either an exercise group, which ran on an inclined treadmill six days a week for an hour, or to a sedentary group, which was exposed to the same sounds and handling as the exercise group but remained in their cages during the exercise period.

After eight weeks, researchers examined brain and muscle tissue from some of the mice in each group to test for signs of increases in mitochondria. Additionally, some of the mice from each group performed a “run to fatigue” test to assess their endurance after the eight-week period.

Confirming previous studies, the results showed that mice in the exercise group had increased mitochondria in their muscle tissue compared to mice in the sedentary group. However, the researchers also found that the exercising mice also showed several positive markers of mitochondria increase in the brain, including a rise in the expression of genes for different regulators for mitochondrial production.

These results correlated well with the animals’ increased fitness. Overall, mice in the exercise group increased their run to fatigue times from about 74 minutes to about 126 minutes. No change was seen for the sedentary mice.

What does it mean?

These findings suggest that exercise training increases the number of mitochondria in the brain much like it increases mitochondria in muscles. The study authors note that this increase in brain mitochondria may play a role in boosting exercise endurance by making the brain more resistant to fatigue, which can affect physical performance.

They also suggest that this boost in brain mitochondria could have clinical implications for mental disorders, making exercise a potential treatment for psychiatric disorders, genetic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases.

These findings could lead to the enhancement of athletic performance through reduced mental and physical fatigue, as well as to the expanded use of exercise as a therapeutic option to attenuate the negative effects of aging, and the treatment and/or prevention of neurological diseases,” the authors say.

Article – Exercise Training Increases Mitochondrial Biogenesis in the Brain. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology, published by the American Physiological Society.

]]>Pump in some ironhttps://exerciseiq.com.au/pump-in-some-iron/
Wed, 25 Nov 2015 10:05:09 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1422If you have been getting this newsletter for a while you will know that I recommend everyone does at least two sessions a week of strength training to maintain their muscle mass. Although it doesn’t have to involve actual weights, in gym language this is...

]]>If you have been getting this newsletter for a while you will know that I recommend everyone does at least two sessions a week of strength training to maintain their muscle mass. Although it doesn’t have to involve actual weights, in gym language this is often called ‘pumping iron.’

Hopefully you are doing some form of ‘pumping iron.’

I don’t think however, that I’ve written about the other kind of iron—the nutrient— that you need to be pumping into your body.

Iron deficiency affects a great number of people, especially women. That’s not a good thing since the mineral is involved in a number of important bodily functions, from producing red blood cells to keeping our skin, hair, and nails healthy.

The recommends daily intake of iron is varies for different groups but generally men and post-menopausal women need to consume about 8 mg per day and women just over double that amount.

It is important to know that not all iron is created equal. There are two types: heme and nonheme.

Heme iron is found in meat and fish, while nonheme is in certain leafy greens and iron-fortified grains, such as breakfast cereals. Meat eaters have an easier time getting their daily dose of iron because heme iron is more easily absorbed into the body. That’s why it is recommended that vegetarians consume nearly two times more iron each day than people who eat meat.

Luckily vegetarians can get some help by eating iron-rich foods with ones packed with vitamin C, which boosts iron absorption. It’s also important to steer clear of dairy, coffee, and milk while eating iron-rich foods, which can limit absorption.

As a guide to the non-meat-eaters, here are some tasty, meat-free ways to be sure you get your iron.

Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate gives our brains a short-term boost and helps our bodies regulate the stress hormone cortisol. It also comes packed with iron. It just needs to be dark chocolate made from at least 70 percent cacao.

Breakfast Cereals
Iron doesn’t naturally occur in many of the popular cereals but manufacturers have been fortifying the breakfast staple with vitamins and minerals for decades Check out the nutrition label to see if your cereal has added iron.

Chickpeas
Chickpeas are a good source of iron. Plus, chickpeas are also fairly high in protein, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.

Quinoa
This South American staple has quickly found its way onto the grocery lists of many people everywhere because it’s gluten-free and packed with protein. It is also a great source of iron and certainly worth adding to your shopping list.

Kidney Beans
We know that beans are good for our heart and digestive system due to their high fibre content but In addition to fiber, beans contain protein and iron.

Lentils
Lentils are a fantastic source of iron, as well as potassium, folate, and antioxidants. Like quinoa, lentils are incredibly versatile and can be used in numerous recipes and added to salads easily.

So next time you do the shopping, add some of these iron rich foods to your basket to make sure you are getting enough iron in your diet. Not only is it essential for good health, but it adequate levels are important for exercise performance.

]]>Think long term and protect your brainhttps://exerciseiq.com.au/think-long-term-and-protect-your-brain/
Tue, 10 Nov 2015 09:49:03 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1419I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping I can maintain my mental capacity (stay sharp) for my whole life. No-one wants to think that they might suffer cognitive decline or get Alzheimer’s disease. And, while there is no guarantee, I’m sure, given the choice, you would make lifestyle...

]]>I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping I can maintain my mental capacity (stay sharp) for my whole life. No-one wants to think that they might suffer cognitive decline or get Alzheimer’s disease. And, while there is no guarantee, I’m sure, given the choice, you would make lifestyle changes if you knew they were gong to help prevent a loss of mental capacity. As you will see, the three things above, when combined, make a difference.

Previous studies in older adults have highlighted the positive effects of omega-3 fatty acid (FA) supplementation, aerobic exercise, or cognitive stimulation on brain structure and function. However, until now, no-one had examined the combined effects of these interventions in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Before and after the interventions, cognitive performance, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, intima-media thickness of the internal carotid artery and serum markers of glucose control, lipid and B-vitamin metabolism, and inflammation were assessed.

After the intervention period, significant differences were observed in the brain structure between groups: grey matter volume decreased in the frontal, parietal and cingulate cortex of patients in the control intervention, while grey matter volume in these areas was preserved or even increased in the intervention group. Decreases in homocysteine levels (a marker of inflammation) in the intervention group was associated with increasers in grey matter volume in the middle frontal cortex.

This small study provides preliminary evidence that omega-3 fatty acid intake combined with aerobic exercise and cognitive stimulation prevents atrophy in certain brain regions in patients with mild cognitive impairment, compared to omega-3 FA intake plus the control condition of stretching and toning. While a larger study is needed to validate these findings, I’m erring on the side of caution by making sure I eat enough omega-3 rich foods, getting regular aerobic exercise and keeping my brain challenged.

And, if I do get dementia, there is good evidence that even then, exercise helps.

Scientists reviewed 12 studies of the effects of exercise on people with dementia living in a nursing home. The exercise routines included walking, movement to music and even hand exercises. The length of the studies and the amount of exercise varied across the studies but most of them reported significant positive effects of physical activity on cognition, agitation, mood, mobility and functional ability.

]]>Poor sleep a heart health riskhttps://exerciseiq.com.au/poor-sleep-a-heart-health-risk/
Thu, 05 Nov 2015 09:44:16 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1416Are you getting enough quality sleep? Are you sleeping longer than you should? Poor sleep habits may put you at higher risk for early signs of heart disease when compared to those who get adequate, good quality sleep, according to a study published in the...

]]>Are you getting enough quality sleep? Are you sleeping longer than you should? Poor sleep habits may put you at higher risk for early signs of heart disease when compared to those who get adequate, good quality sleep, according to a study published in the American Heart Association journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

It is becoming more widely accepted that poor or not enough sleep is a common problem and a probable source of poor health, including signs of disease, such as heart attack,

The researchers from the Centre for Cohort Studies at Kangbuk Samsun Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea.studied more than 47,000 young and middle-aged adults who completed a sleep questionnaire and had tests to detect early coronary artery lesions and measure arterial stiffness. Early coronary lesions were detected as the presence of calcium in the coronary arteries and arterial stiffness was assessed by measuring the velocity, or speed, of the pulse wave between the arteries in the upper arm and ankle.

After measuring coronary calcium, researchers found:

Adults who sleep five or fewer hours a day have 50 percent more calcium in their coronary arteries than those who sleep seven hours a day.

Those who sleep nine or more hours a day have more than 70 percent more coronary calcium compared to those who sleep seven hours.

Adults who reported poor sleep quality had more than 20 percent more coronary calcium than those who reported good sleep quality.

The study also observed a similar pattern when they measured arterial stiffness, another risk factor for heart disease and a contributor to high blood pressure. Adults with poor sleep quality have stiffer arteries than those who sleep seven hours a day or had good sleep quality. Overall, they saw the lowest levels of vascular disease in adults sleeping seven hours a day and reporting good sleep quality.

A common question is ‘how much sleep do I need?’ This study’s findings highlight the importance of adequate sleep quantity and quality to maintain cardiovascular health and it seems that 7-8 hours is the key number for most adults.

If you are not getting 7 hours sleep or your sleep quality is poor making some changes to your sleep habits and bed-time routine would be a wise move.

]]>Brief exercise good for blood sugarhttps://exerciseiq.com.au/brief-exercise-good-for-blood-sugar/
Sat, 31 Oct 2015 09:40:38 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1413Although a recent study involved children, I think the message is important for all of us. The study of 28 healthy, normal-weight children found that doing three minutes of moderate-intensity walking every half hour over three hours of sitting led to lower levels of blood sugar...

]]>Although a recent study involved children, I think the message is important for all of us.

The study of 28 healthy, normal-weight children found that doing three minutes of moderate-intensity walking every half hour over three hours of sitting led to lower levels of blood sugar and insulin, compared to another day when the children sat for three hours straight.

According to the study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolismn the day the children took brief walks, they did not eat any more at lunch than on the day they remained seated for the entire three hours, .

The findings suggest that brief bouts of activity during otherwise inactive periods could help protect children (and adults) against type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Not only that, but elevated insulin levels can make us tired, disrupt our focus and can hinder concentration; all of which are detrimental to performance.

In our busy lives it can be difficult to fit longer stretches of physical activity into the day. Even if you exercise before or after work, you may still sit or be inactive for long periods, which has been shown to be detrimental to health. This study confirms that even small activity breaks could have a substantial impact on children’s long-term health and no doubt it would have the same or more benefit to adults.

Inactivity after a meal diminishes the muscles’ ability to help clear sugar from the bloodstream. That forces the body to produce more insulin, which increases the risk for cells in the pancreas to ‘fatigue’ which can lead to the onset of type 2 diabetes.

These findings suggest even short activity breaks can help overcome these negative effects, at least in the short term.

With a large proportion of children and teenagers overweight or obese, it is important that we encourage them to insert small activity breaks into their day. And for all of us adults, it is even more important that we add in some form activity into days when we are ‘at our desk’ for long periods. Just a walk around the office or up a flight of steps will help to keep blood sugar levels normal.

]]>Can exercise help you stay sharphttps://exerciseiq.com.au/can-exercise-help-you-stay-sharp/
Sun, 25 Oct 2015 09:39:49 +0000http://exerciseiq.com.au/?p=1410Have you ever wondered what your brain will be like when you got old and whether it will survive the test of time and let you stay sharp until you die? Or whether any of the recommended ways to maintain your brain structure and function...

]]>Have you ever wondered what your brain will be like when you got old and whether it will survive the test of time and let you stay sharp until you die?

Or whether any of the recommended ways to maintain your brain structure and function actually make any difference. (with exercise being at the top of the list)

A few years ago, Olga Kotelko, a 93-year-old Canadian track-and-field athlete with more than 30 world records, underwent an analysis of her brain at the University of Illinois.

The findings, reported in the journal Neurocase, offer an insight of the potential effects of exercise on the brains and cognitive abilities of the “oldest old.”

Olga, a retired teacher and mother of two, started her athletic career late in life. She began with softball at age 65, and at 77 took up track-and-field events. At the time of her death in 2014, she had won 750 gold medals in her age group in World Masters Athletics events, and had set new world records in the 100-meter, 200-meter, high jump, long jump, javelin, discus, shot put and hammer events.

The researchers had trouble finding a group of reasonably healthy nonagenarians for comparison, so they decided to compare Olga with a group of 58 healthy, low-active women who were 60 to 78 years old.

In one long day at the lab, Olga underwent an MRI brain scan, a cardiorespiratory fitness test on a treadmill and cognitive tests.

According to the lead researcher, at the end of the day Olga looked less tired than the graduate students who were conducting the tests.

The women in the comparison group underwent the same tests and scans.

The researchers wanted to find out whether Olga’s late-life athletic activity had slowed – or perhaps even reversed – some of the processes of aging in her brain.

Typically, the brain shrinks with age and fluid-filled spaces appear between the brain and the skull, and the ventricles enlarge. The cortex, the outermost layer of cells where all of our thinking takes place, also gets thinner. White matter tracts, which carry nerve signals between brain regions, tend to lose their structural and functional integrity over time and the hippocampus, which is important to memory, usually shrinks with age.

Previous studies have shown that regular aerobic exercise can enhance cognition and boost brain function in older adults, and can even increase the volume of specific brain regions like the hippocampus.

Olga’s brain offered some intriguing first clues about the potentially beneficial effects of her active lifestyle.

Her brain did not seem to have shrunk and her ventricles did not seem to be enlarged. She did however have obvious signs of advanced aging in the white-matter tracts of some brain regions.

As a whole, however, her white-matter tracts were remarkably intact – comparable to those of women decades younger. The white-matter tracts in one region of her brain — the genu of the corpus callosum, which connects the right and left hemispheres at the very front of the brain — were in great shape. These white-matter tracts serve a region of the brain that is engaged in tasks – such as reasoning, planning and self-control – that are known to decline fastest in aging.

Olga did not perform as well on cognitive tests as the younger women, but better than other adults her own age who had been tested in an independent study. She was quicker at responding to the cognitive tasks than other adults in their 90s and on memory she was much better than they were.

Olga is only one person so these findings are only a start toward calculating the effects of exercise on cognition in the oldest old, and it is difficult to arrive at very solid conclusions.

However, it is exciting to see someone who is highly functioning at 93, possessing numerous world records in the athletic field and actually having very high integrity in a brain region that is very sensitive to aging.

While this isn’t a guarantee, hopefully it will encourage you to stay active to keep your brain structure and function intact for as long as possible.